1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a standard material for particle analyzer, which is used for quality control and the like on a particle analyzer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A particle analyzer, which stains particles in a biological sample such as urine and blood by using a fluorescent dye, and irradiates the particles with light so that the particles are classified and counted by measuring fluorescence and front scattered light emitted from the particles, has been known.
In such a particle analyzer, it is necessary to quality control the analyzer so as to always obtain accurate results of measurements. In other words, a standard material for quality control is measured by the particle analyzer, and if an accurate measured value is not obtained, the particle analyzer needs to be calibrated so that the measured value of the standard material is maintained in a predetermined range.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,823 has disclosed a standard fluid for use in a flow cytometer that is provided with a measurement sample preparing part that conducts a fluorescence-staining treatment on particle components in urine by using a dye and a fluorescence detector that detects fluorescence from the particle components that have been fluorescence-stained. This standard fluid contains standard particles. The standard particles are particles that can be stained through the fluorescence-staining treatment so as to show the same intensity of fluorescence as the particle components to be measured. In the case when any problem occurs in the measurement sample preparing part of the flow cytometer to cause a failure in properly conducting the staining process, an abnormality in the staining mechanism can be detected by measuring the standard particles.
In the case when a quality controlling operation is carried out on a particle analyzer by using the standard fluid disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,823, even if the resulting measured value (intensity of fluorescence) is out of a predetermined range, for example, the sensitivity of the fluorescence detector is adjusted so that a calibrating process is carried out so as to obtain an appropriate measured value.
However U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,823 has disclosed nothing about a technique for measuring a standard material by using a particle analyzer and for judging any abnormal portion in the analyzer.